Book Review: Private
Rated by 1 member
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that Reed obsesses over a clique of
popular girls who can sometimes be quite mean: They pressure
her to steal a test, break up with her boyfriend, and spike a
teacher's drink; later they even conspire to have another girl
thrown out for cheating. Also, Reed's boyfriend -- whom she
loses her virginity to -- drinks, deals drugs, and pushes her
down in a rage. There is also some swearing and mean talk,
along with a little label name-dropping.
Families can talk about the appeal of this book. In recent years there have been a number of "clique lit" series, including books about teen vampires and others involving murder mysteries. Regardless of the backdrop, they almost all feature materialistic girls who act cruelly to one another. Are these books simply escape, or do they promote dangerous values? Do they impact the way girls treat one another -- or themselves? For more ideas, read our discussion guide.
Common Sense Media Review
This series starter has a lot of the trapping of the clique
lit genre: An elite boarding school, a group of beautiful and
popular girls, and lots of mean talk and pranks. It also has
another common trapping: The debut sets up a lot of intrigue,
but nothing is resolved (and it's unclear what lessons the
protagonist has actually learned).
What sets this book a little apart is that protagonist Reed is a realistic and sympathetic character. Blue-collar Reed can't wait to escape her boring hometown and her abusive, addicted mother. But she's flawed, too -- when Thomas accuses her of using him, he's right. And she uses the popular Billings Girls to a certain degree as well, though she's not driven by materialism, but rather a deep longing to belong.
In the end, readers will connect with Reed -- and all the drama she finds at Easton Academy, from discovering that her boyfriend is the school drug dealer to suspecting that the Billings Girls helped get someone expelled. Teens taking a break from required reading will likely find enough fun here to have them RSVPing for the next installment, Invitation Only.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
